Game 5:  Newman (0-4, 0-0 MIAA) vs. Cottey College (4-7, 0-0 CAC)
Tuesday, November 23, 2021 | 5:30 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network | Video:  MIAA Network
 
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAY
The Newman Jets return to Fugate Gymnasium for their last contest ahead of Thanksgiving on Tuesday.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Newman couldn't dig its way out of an early hole as St. Cloud State dropped the Jets to 0-2 on their Hays, Kan. road trip with a 73-59 loss to St. Cloud State Saturday, November 20.  The Huskies rolled to a 42-24 lead to start the game before the Jets rallied back for a 9-0 run just before halftime, but SCSU outscored the Jets 18-8 in the third period to take control of the game.  Faith Mason-Vestal and Tiffany Dortland each scored 15 points to lead the Jets.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
SCOUTING THE SQUADRON
Newman ended last year's pandemic-abbreviated season 4-18 while playing all 22 games within the MIAA.  The Jets return six players from a year ago, including two of their top three scorers from that team.  The Jets will suit up two seniors this season, but both are eligible to return for an additional year due to eligibility granted by the NCAA in response to the 2019-20 Coronavirus pandemic.  The Jets welcome six freshmen to the program and they are joined by one redshirt freshman, Elise Kaiser, a Hesston product who missed last season with a preseason knee injury.  Rounding out the NU roster are five juniors and two sophomores.  Transferring to join the new coaching staff are former Towanda High School Thunderbird Carissa Beck (Butler County), Russell High School product Tiffany Dortland (Bethel), Bishop Carroll Golden Eagle multi-sport star and Wichita native Britney Ho (Northeastern State), and former Goddard Lion Torri Vang (Cowley County).
 
TOP RETURNERS
Faith Mason-Vestal is the Jets' leading returning scorer after tallying 10.2 ppg a season ago.  She is also the top returning rebounder for NU after grabbing 4.7 rpg last season.  Mason-Vestal was also a steady scorer at the free throw line, logging the second-most makes last year while shooting 80% from the line.  She also turned into a defensive presence inside and led the Jet block party last season with a team-high 20 rejections.  Sydney Nilles returns at point guard to orchestrate the Jet offense after leading the Navy & Red with 64 assists last season as a freshman against just 58 turnovers.  She's also one of Newman's top returning defenders, logging the second-most steals for the Jets last year with 22 takeaways.  Makayla Hayes is the leading returning 3-point shooter off last year's squad after connecting 15 times on 63 attempts (24%) last season, though Nilles has the highest returning percentage after drilling 13 of 35 shots to shoot a team-high 37% from the arc last year.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Cottey College is a private women's college in Nevada, Mo.  The Comets are a member of the Continental Athletic Conference, formerly the Association of Independent Institutions.  The Comets have stabilized after an 0-3 start to the season by going 4-4 over their next eight games.  Cottey finished the 2019-20 season 8-19-1 with a 2-8 record in the CAC.  The Comets did not play a 2020-21 schedule.
 
Stephens College outscored the Comets 18-7 in the first quarter en route to a 68-48 victory Saturday, November 20.  The teams played the middle two quarters nearly level, but Stephens outscored Cottey 22-14 in the fourth to stave off any comeback attempt.  Taylor Coonce and Olivia Pruitt each scored 14 points to lead the Comets.
 
THE SERIES
The Jets are facing the Comets for the first time ever this week.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
Newman has never played Cottey in women's basketball.
 
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
Newman begins a new era in 2021 as the Jets welcome Drew Johnson and Nicole Ohlde-Johnson to Wichita as the new leaders of Jets Women's Basketball.  The husband and wife team didn't have to travel far to Wichita, moving from just minutes up the road after spending four seasons at Bethel College where Drew was the head coach and Nicole was his associate head coach.  Drew Johnson compiled a 64-53 record in North Newton, while going 51-41 in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play.  Under their leadership, the Johnsons helped Bethel to its first ever 20-win season as the Threshers went 20-10 and hosted their first KCAC Tournament game inside Thresher Gym in 8 years.  In their final year at the helm, the Johnson led the Threshers to a 16-10 season while going 16-6 in the KCAC, delivering the program's first ever NAIA National Tournament appearance.
 
The Johnsons bring with them a wealth of basketball experience both on and off the court.  Ohlde-Johnson, a Clay Center, Kan. native, played collegiately at Kansas State University where she was a two-time first-team All-American and departed as the school's all-time leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker.  Ohlde-Johnson was drafted in the first round of the 2004 WNBA draft and played seven years in the league and helped the Phoenix Mercury win the 2009 WNBA title.  After playing in Europe, Ohlde-Johnson founded the Nicole Ohlde Basketball Academy with Drew serving as a player trainer and coach for the club competing on the AAU circuit.
 
Prior to becoming the Bethel head coach, Drew Johnson previously served on the high school girls basketball coaching staffs at Valley Center, Derby, and Clay Center High Schools in Kansas.  Johnson is a Wichita native and Friends University graduate.  Johnson was a two-year captain and four-year starter for the Falcons football program and earned All-KCAC honors as a punter.  As part of Ohlde Basketball Academy and Ohlde Elite, the Johnsons coached players that went on to play at all levels of basketball including the Big 12, Big East, Missouri Valley, MIAA, and KCAC.
 
CATCHING UP WITH THE COMETS
Dr. Maryann Mitts is in her first year leading Comets basketball.  Mitts ends her seven-year coaching retirement as she takes the bench at Cottey College while also becoming the Director of Athletics for the Comets.  Mitts previously spent 12 seasons at Missouri Southern where she compiled a 189-145 record and departed as the winningest coach in the history of the program, leading the Lions to 11 MIAA Tournament appearances.  Prior to her appointment in Joplin, Mo., Mitts helped Rockhurst transition to NCAA Division II status while going 83-57 at her alma mater.  In her best year, Mitts led the Hawks to a Sweet Sixteen finish at the NAIA Tournament and the program's highest ranking in school history (#8) in national polls.  Mitts was twice named NAIA Regional Coach of the Year in both women's basketball and in tennis.  She entered the season with a 272-201 overall record.  While a player herself, Mitts earned All-American honors in basketball and volleyball for the Hawks and was also a Scholastic All-American in both sports.  Mitts spent the past seven years as an assistant professor of Kinesiology at MSSU.
 
MISSED IT BY THAT MUCH
Newman found themselves on the wrong side of close games last year.  NU played eight games decided by 10 or fewer points a season ago.  After starting the year 2-0 in those contests, the Jets lost their last six.
 
MADE IN THE MIDWEST
The Jets didn't have to acquire any frequent-flyer miles to arrive on campus.  All 16 Jets hail from the Central Time Zone and represent just three different states.  Nine Jets stayed home in Kansas to play for NU, five made the trip north from Texas, and two came west from Missouri.
 
NAIA DOMINANCE
Newman is 35-2 against NAIA-level competition since joining the ranks of the NCAA in the 2007-08 season.  The Jets have won 29 straight against teams from the NAIA or equivalent classifications.  The Jets last suffered defeat against an NAIA squad in a 69-66 decision on the road at Peru State December 11, 2010.  The only other team to knock off the Jets from this level is Kansas Wesleyan from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.  The Coyotes grounded the Jets in overtime during the 2009-10 season.
 
EW… GROSS…
The Jets are 0-10 at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kan. since joining the ranks of NCAA Division II.  Seven of the losses have come at the hands of Fort Hays State University in true road contests, five of which occurred as nonconference matchups before the Jets joined the MIAA for the 2019-20 season.  The Navy & Red will be back in Hays to try to tame the Tigers on Sunday, December 19 for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff in NU's last game ahead of the Christmas break.  FHSU was ranked #4 in the preseason WBCA Preseason Coaches' Poll after going 22-4 last year.
 
BRINGING THEIR 'A' GAME

• Sydney Nilles tied for 10^th in the MIAA averaging 2.9 apg a year ago.
• Nilles was also 10^th in the league in Assist/Turnover Ratio at 1.1
• Madison Birnbaum tied for seventh last year in steals averaging 1.7 per game.
• Newman was one of five MIAA teams to shoot 100% from the free throw line in a game last year, going 3-for-3 at the line in a 71-54 loss at Missouri Western.
• The Jets struggled to slow down Emporia State behind the arc a season ago.  The Lady Hornets stroked in 17 trifectas against the Jets in a 85-65 decision in Wichita, tied for the most three-balls allowed in the conference last year.

 
NU STATS N' STREAKS

• Newman ranked 14^th in the MIAA in scoring last season at 54 ppg and finished sixth defensively giving up 63.6 ppg.  Wayne State was the eighth best offense in the NSIC a year ago scoring 69.6 ppg but was 15^th defensively allowing 78 ppg.
• The Jets look to end a six-game losing streak by taking care of business at home.
• Senior forward Faith Mason-Vestal has scored in double-figures in all four of NU's games to open up the year.
• Freshman center Laura Bello erupted for a career-high 19 points in just 11 minutes in the Jets' loss to Cameron.
• Junior forward Britney Ho tallied an NU career-high 11 points in the Jets' defeat to St. Cloud State.
• Junior guard Tiffany Dortland dished out a career-high five assists in NU's loss to St. Cloud State.
• Junior forward Britney Ho grabbed an NU career-high nine rebounds in the Navy & Red's loss versus Cameron.
• Transfer guard Tiffany Dortland set a program record for most points in their Newman Jets debut when she scored 27 in the season-opener against Wayne State College.  The record was previously held by Satoria Bell, who tallied 22 points in her NU debut on November 11, 2011 in a 65-58 win against Emporia State.  It was also the second-most points scored in a home or season-opening game behind only Alexandra Ciabattoni's 30-point outburst to open the 2013-14 campaign in a 66-64 victory against Rockhurst on November 9, 2013.  Ciabattoni went on to receive First Team All-Heartland Conference honors and was named the 2014 Heartland Conference Player of the Year.
• Sophomore point guard Sydney Nilles set a new career high with seven assists in a loss to Wayne State College to open up the season.
• The Jets are vying for their first winning season since 2018-19 when head coach Darin Spence led the Navy & Red to a 21-10 record while finishing second in the Heartland Conference.
• NU also seeks its first 10+ win season since 2019-20 when NU finished 11-17 while going 6-13 in its first year in the MIAA.
• Newman looks to return to the postseason for the first time since 2019 when NU ended a six-game postseason losing streak with two wins in the Heartland Conference Tournament.  The Jets lost in the championship game to #25 Lubbock Christian.  The top-seeded Lady Chapparals went on to win the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship.

 
YOU'RE NEXT!
The Jets wrap up nonconference play in a traditional doubleheader with Manhattan Christian College on Saturday, November 27.  Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Fugate Gymnasium with the men's game to fol